Child star of 'Beasts' taking Oscar nod in stride

By DERRIK J. LANG, AP Entertainment Writer
| 2:51 p.m.Jan. 10, 2013

This Jan. 8, 2013 photo released by Starpix shows actress Quvenzhane Wallis at the National Board of Review awards gala in New York. Wallis was nominated for an Academy Award on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013, for best actress for the film, "Beasts of the Southern Wild". The 85th Academy Awards will air live on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013 on ABC. (AP Photo/Starpix, Marion Curtis)
— AP

This Jan. 8, 2013 photo released by Starpix shows actress Quvenzhane Wallis at the National Board of Review awards gala in New York. Wallis was nominated for an Academy Award on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013, for best actress for the film, "Beasts of the Southern Wild". The 85th Academy Awards will air live on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013 on ABC. (AP Photo/Starpix, Marion Curtis)
/ AP

FILE - This Jan. 8, 2013 file photo shows actress Quvenzhane Wallis at the National Board of Review Awards gala in New York. Wallis was nominated for an Academy Award for best actress on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013, for her role in the film "Beasts of the Southern Wild." The 85th Academy Awards will air live on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013 on ABC. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, file)— Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

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FILE - This Jan. 8, 2013 file photo shows actress Quvenzhane Wallis at the National Board of Review Awards gala in New York. Wallis was nominated for an Academy Award for best actress on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013, for her role in the film "Beasts of the Southern Wild." The 85th Academy Awards will air live on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013 on ABC. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, file)
/ Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

This Jan. 8, 2013 photo released by Starpix shows actress Quvenzhane Wallis, left, and director Benh Zeitlin at the National Board of Review awards gala in New York. Wallis was nominated for an Academy Award on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013, for best actress for the film, "Beasts of the Southern Wild". Zeitlin was also nominated for best director. The 85th Academy Awards will air live on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013 on ABC. (AP Photo/Starpix, Marion Curtis)— AP

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This Jan. 8, 2013 photo released by Starpix shows actress Quvenzhane Wallis, left, and director Benh Zeitlin at the National Board of Review awards gala in New York. Wallis was nominated for an Academy Award on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013, for best actress for the film, "Beasts of the Southern Wild". Zeitlin was also nominated for best director. The 85th Academy Awards will air live on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013 on ABC. (AP Photo/Starpix, Marion Curtis)
/ AP

FILE - This film image released by Fox Searchlight Pictures shows Quvenzhane Wallis portraying Hushpuppy in a scene from, "Beasts of the Southern Wild." Wallis was nominated for an Academy Award for best actress on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013, for her role in the film. The 85th Academy Awards will air live on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013 on ABC. (AP Photo/Fox Searchlight Pictures, Mary Cybulski)— AP

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FILE - This film image released by Fox Searchlight Pictures shows Quvenzhane Wallis portraying Hushpuppy in a scene from, "Beasts of the Southern Wild." Wallis was nominated for an Academy Award for best actress on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013, for her role in the film. The 85th Academy Awards will air live on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013 on ABC. (AP Photo/Fox Searchlight Pictures, Mary Cybulski)
/ AP

LOS ANGELES 
Quvenzhane Wallis was experiencing something of an internal struggle when she found out she'd been nominated for an Academy Award early Thursday morning.

"I woke up, and (my mother) said, `You've been nominated! You're nominated!'" recalls Quvenzhane (Kuh-VAHN-zuh-nay) of learning she's up for the best actress prize at the 85th annual Oscars. "I was like, `Oh my God!' But it was on the inside. It wasn't on the outside."

At 9 years old, the "Beasts of the Southern Wild" star is the youngest woman - ahem - girl to ever be nominated in the category.

"We were all literally losing our minds this morning, and she's totally taking it in stride," says "Beasts" writer-director Benh Zeitlin, who is himself nominated in the directing and adapted screenplay categories. "It's magical. She's just poised and fearless. I saw that the first day I ever met her when she was five. To this day, she just knows who she is, and she's confident."

Quvenzhane, who hails from Houma, La., about 60 miles southeast of New Orleans, was in Los Angeles Thursday to promote "Beasts" with Zeitlin, who lives in New Orleans. She was just 5 years old when she first auditioned for the film's lead role of Hushpuppy, a little girl struggling to survive with her ailing father in the southern Delta as a storm approaches.

Admittedly, Quvenzhane has never watched an Oscar telecast. ("Whenever they said you might make it to the Oscars, I was like, `Who's Oscar? I don't know Oscar,'" she says.) When asked who she wants to meet at the star-studded ceremony, her answer is "everyone from the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon - but not Nick at Nite."

When it comes to fashion, Quvenzhane is open to wearing "all colors except for black by itself" on the big day, and she's not interested in wearing a really long gown.

"I might step on it," she explains, matter-of-factly.

Understandably, Quvenzhane isn't too aware of her competition, which includes the likes of Naomi Watts from "The Impossible" and Jessica Chastain from "Zero Dark Thirty." She does know one of her fellow best actress nominees: Emmanuelle Riva of "Amour." But that's only because she met her the day prior when the pair posed for a photo together. Both have something in common. Sorta. They're record breakers. At 85 years old, Riva is the oldest best actress nominee.

Despite her young age, with a Spirit Award nomination and a few other awards now under her belt, Quvenzhane is already adapting to Hollywood's awards season madness. That doesn't mean she's prepared to just stick to acting though. What's her ultimate goal?